Carlos Espinosa Gavilanes

He obtained his Bachelor's degree in Chemistry from Universidad San Francisco de Quito (2015). During his undergraduate studies, he participated in several research projects focused on the synthesis of metal-organic compounds, development of advanced functional materials, TiO₂-based solar cells, modeling of oxidative catalysis for the cracking of heavy crude oils, structural studies of Fe₂O₃, and DFT studies of Lewis acids and bases. In 2014, he was awarded a scholarship for an academic exchange at Northern Kentucky University (USA), where he worked on the synthesis and coupling of organic molecules (catechol) for the development of fluorosensitive sensors. During that period, he served as a laboratory assistant for Inorganic Chemistry and teaching assistant for Organic Chemistry. His thesis was titled “Programming, Thermodynamics, and Statistical Thermodynamics in Computational Chemistry.” After completing his degree, he worked for eight years at Servicio Ecuatoriano de Normalización (INEN) as a quality management assesor in the food, petrochemical, and cosmetic sectors. He is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Materials Science and Technology at the Instituto Sabato, supported by a scholarship obtained in 2023. His thesis work, supervised by Dr. Paula C. Angelomé and Dr. Santiago Poklepovich Caride, focuses on the design, synthesis, and application of gold nanoparticles obtained from recycled materials.